title: Incidence and clinical significance of aberrant T-cell marker expression on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Aberrant expression of T-cell markers is occasionally observed in B-cell lymphomas. We conducted a retrospective study to establish its incidence and to determine its relationship with clinical features of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed DLBCL patients diagnosed between January 2002 and April 2009. Patients fulfilled the following criteria: (1) age >18 years, (2) HIV negative, (3) B-cell lymphoma confirmed by restricted expression of surface immunoglobulin light chains by flow cytometry (FCM). Aberrant T-cell marker expression (ATCME) was defined as positivity for CD2, CD3, CD4, CD7, and/or CD8 on DLBCL cells by FCM. Phenotyping was also performed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Patients were grouped according to positive or negative ATCME and their clinical features including survival were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 150 patients, 11 (7.3%) showed ATCME; CD2 and CD7 were most often expressed. ATCME was less often detected and the signal was weaker using IHC. There were no statistically significant differences in clinical features between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  FCM may be useful to detect ATCME in a small amount of lymphoma cells. The mechanism responsible for ATCME, and whether it contributes in any way to the pathogenesis of B-cell neoplastic transformation, requires clarification.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuhko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Guoqin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Takumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: Takuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Katayama
authors.forename: Shunsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miyamoto
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
authors.forename: Keiichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iwabuchi
authors.forename: Mikio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Danbara
authors.forename: Meijin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakayama
authors.forename: Ryouichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Horie
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakamine
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Naoya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Nozomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Niitsu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000276:immunology*; D019011:Antigens, CD7 / Q000276:immunology; D018801:CD2 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains / Q000276:immunology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016403:Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D019011:Antigens, CD7; D018801:CD2 Antigens; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains